Klapisch: Is Mets’ David Wright done at 31?

By BOB KLAPISCH

RECORD BASEBALL COLUMNIST |

The Record

Doesn’t it already feel as if David Wright’s prime was in a past lifetime, hazy and barely remembered? He’s only 31, but lately has hit as if he’s in decline, or at the stage of his career when minor injuries are a chronic drag on his offensive performance. Either way, Wright has become one of the Mets’ most serious concerns.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

David Wright is batting only .200 since the All-Star break.

Crazy, isn’t it, that Wright did the Mets a favor by signing an eight-year, $138 million deal in 2012. Nice guy that he is, Wright deferred $8 million of that salary so the Wilpons could emerge from the Madoff cesspool.

Both sides took a gamble on this deal. The Wilpons made Wright the richest player in franchise history, figuring he’d be the cornerstone of their rebirth.

And Wright? He assumed the Mets would get to the playoffs while he was still in the sweet spot of his productive years. Turns out, both sides are disappointed in each other.

Wright had to think the Mets would be in better shape by now. Instead, they’re the National League’s second-lowest-scoring team since the All-Star break, reeling toward a sixth straight losing season. Failure is so deeply woven into the Mets’ culture that no one seems particularly traumatized: There’s no outrage from Terry Collins, no protest from Sandy Alderson, not a word from ownership.

It’s just business as usual, as fans are promised – once again – better baseball next year. It’s always next year in Flushing. But 2015 means Wright will be a year older and more brittle, that much further from his peak, when pitchers feared that massive uppercut in his swing. It used to be, make a mistake to Wright, especially if you allowed him to extend his arms, and you’d pay with a blast to right-center.

But Wright is only a shell of his former, line-drive-hitting self. He hasn’t hit a home run since July 11, a span of 143 at-bats, and is batting .200 since the All-Star break. The fact that Wright is still batting in the No. 3 spot speaks of Collins’ loyalty to his slugger, although that
soon may change. Starting tonight against the Braves, Wright and Daniel Murphy could flip-flop in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots, and even that change isn’t radical enough.

What’s wrong, exactly? It could be a bad neck or a shoulder strain or both. If so, it makes less and less sense to keep sending Wright into battle. The Mets’ final month has been rendered meaningless, destined to be played in front of thousands of empty seats at Citi Field. If Wright needs a few days off, he could benefit from skipping September altogether and prepare for spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

That’s when we’ll learn if Wright is being taken down by a more insidious enemy – old age. Let’s be clear: Wright is anything but old. He’s remarkably fit, even for someone past his 30th birthday, and always had led a clean life. There’s nothing Wright has done in his career to suggest he won’t bounce back.

Yet, talent evaluators see a number of red flags when they size up the swing. “[Wright] has always been long to the ball, but lately it’s without that explosiveness,” one scout said. Another said Wright was in his “late prime” on opening day, but has since revised that assessment to say the slugger’s best days are behind him.

Again, it could be the pain Wright feels in his neck or the tightness in his shoulder. Only Wright knows what it feels like swinging the bat. But subtract even a millisecond of reflex time and that long swing no longer covers the strike zone as it once did. Suddenly, Wright has holes that can be exploited, especially fastballs up and in. Even when he makes contact, Wright seems softer. His home run ratio is down to a career-low 1.5 percent, which is why opposing managers no longer fear him.

Case in point was the Dodgers’ willingness to pitch to Wright in the seventh inning Saturday night, up by only a run. The Mets had the tying run on second with Murphy due up, but he was intentionally walked despite the fact that he represented the go-ahead run.

It was Wright whom Don Mattingly preferred to face – a decision that worked perfectly. Wright struck out as the Mets were defeated.

Wright, to his credit, stood at his locker afterward and acknowledged how much he’s hurt the Mets in the last two months.

“The numbers speak for themselves right now,” Wright said. “Obviously, it’s something where just as I don’t feel good at the plate, the other team can probably see that I don’t feel very good at the plate.”

That’s what pains the Mets; Wright is the ultimate good guy, as liked and respected as anyone in the National League. But unless he starts hitting, the Mets are unlikely to reverse their downward spiral and will finish anywhere from 8 to 10 games under .500.

That’s an embarrassing outcome, considering Alderson was talking about a 90-win season back in March. It wasn’t believable then, but who really thought the Mets would be 14½ games out of first place before Labor Day?

Mets fans have every reason to be churning in frustration, but it’s Wright who’s on the clock. He keeps waiting for the Mets to break through, even if they’re asking a tough question of their own: Will Wright still be an asset when we finally turn into contenders?

Klapisch: Is Mets’ David Wright done at 31?

Doesn’t it already feel as if David Wright’s prime was in a past lifetime, hazy and barely remembered? He’s only 31, but lately has hit as if he’s in decline, or at the stage of his career when minor injuries are a chronic drag on his offensive performance. Either way, Wright has become one of the Mets’ most serious concerns.

Crazy, isn’t it, that Wright did the Mets a favor by signing an eight-year, $138 million deal in 2012. Nice guy that he is, Wright deferred $8 million of that salary so the Wilpons could emerge from the Madoff cesspool.

Both sides took a gamble on this deal. The Wilpons made Wright the richest player in franchise history, figuring he’d be the cornerstone of their rebirth.

And Wright? He assumed the Mets would get to the playoffs while he was still in the sweet spot of his productive years. Turns out, both sides are disappointed in each other.

Wright had to think the Mets would be in better shape by now. Instead, they’re the National League’s second-lowest-scoring team since the All-Star break, reeling toward a sixth straight losing season. Failure is so deeply woven into the Mets’ culture that no one seems particularly traumatized: There’s no outrage from Terry Collins, no protest from Sandy Alderson, not a word from ownership.

It’s just business as usual, as fans are promised – once again – better baseball next year. It’s always next year in Flushing. But 2015 means Wright will be a year older and more brittle, that much further from his peak, when pitchers feared that massive uppercut in his swing. It used to be, make a mistake to Wright, especially if you allowed him to extend his arms, and you’d pay with a blast to right-center.

But Wright is only a shell of his former, line-drive-hitting self. He hasn’t hit a home run since July 11, a span of 143 at-bats, and is batting .200 since the All-Star break. The fact that Wright is still batting in the No. 3 spot speaks of Collins’ loyalty to his slugger, although that
soon may change. Starting tonight against the Braves, Wright and Daniel Murphy could flip-flop in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots, and even that change isn’t radical enough.

What’s wrong, exactly? It could be a bad neck or a shoulder strain or both. If so, it makes less and less sense to keep sending Wright into battle. The Mets’ final month has been rendered meaningless, destined to be played in front of thousands of empty seats at Citi Field. If Wright needs a few days off, he could benefit from skipping September altogether and prepare for spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

That’s when we’ll learn if Wright is being taken down by a more insidious enemy – old age. Let’s be clear: Wright is anything but old. He’s remarkably fit, even for someone past his 30th birthday, and always had led a clean life. There’s nothing Wright has done in his career to suggest he won’t bounce back.

Yet, talent evaluators see a number of red flags when they size up the swing. “[Wright] has always been long to the ball, but lately it’s without that explosiveness,” one scout said. Another said Wright was in his “late prime” on opening day, but has since revised that assessment to say the slugger’s best days are behind him.

Again, it could be the pain Wright feels in his neck or the tightness in his shoulder. Only Wright knows what it feels like swinging the bat. But subtract even a millisecond of reflex time and that long swing no longer covers the strike zone as it once did. Suddenly, Wright has holes that can be exploited, especially fastballs up and in. Even when he makes contact, Wright seems softer. His home run ratio is down to a career-low 1.5 percent, which is why opposing managers no longer fear him.

Case in point was the Dodgers’ willingness to pitch to Wright in the seventh inning Saturday night, up by only a run. The Mets had the tying run on second with Murphy due up, but he was intentionally walked despite the fact that he represented the go-ahead run.

It was Wright whom Don Mattingly preferred to face – a decision that worked perfectly. Wright struck out as the Mets were defeated.

Wright, to his credit, stood at his locker afterward and acknowledged how much he’s hurt the Mets in the last two months.

“The numbers speak for themselves right now,” Wright said. “Obviously, it’s something where just as I don’t feel good at the plate, the other team can probably see that I don’t feel very good at the plate.”

That’s what pains the Mets; Wright is the ultimate good guy, as liked and respected as anyone in the National League. But unless he starts hitting, the Mets are unlikely to reverse their downward spiral and will finish anywhere from 8 to 10 games under .500.

That’s an embarrassing outcome, considering Alderson was talking about a 90-win season back in March. It wasn’t believable then, but who really thought the Mets would be 14½ games out of first place before Labor Day?

Mets fans have every reason to be churning in frustration, but it’s Wright who’s on the clock. He keeps waiting for the Mets to break through, even if they’re asking a tough question of their own: Will Wright still be an asset when we finally turn into contenders?